Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

In the Dream Labyrinth Tower's library-like resting chamber, Ebner observed Danitz, who stood with visible wariness and suspicion. Smiling faintly, Ebner said,

"You only have fifteen minutes, so don't waste them.

"If you have any questions or problems you'd like resolved, feel free to ask."

If the captain hadn't handed me this card, I'd swear you're just some conman! I've met plenty like you! Danitz grumbled internally but cautiously surveyed his surroundings as if looking for an escape route.

Realizing the gray-and-white mist that surrounded the void offered no way out, he sighed deeply and asked suspiciously, "Can you really solve anything?"

He's totally bluffing. Maybe the captain got scammed? Hmm, Doctor Strange does look better than Flowery Bow Tie Jodeson at least… Wait, what am I thinking? The captain is clever and sophisticated. She wouldn't fall for looks alone!

Simulating "mind-reading" abilities, Ebner's expression slightly twitched. Glancing at Danitz, who was spiraling into his own thoughts, he replied meaningfully,

"I'm not omniscient, but I do know some things about you.

"For instance, the money you've saved has been converted into property on Sycamore Street, 12–16, in Banshire. The ownership documents are hidden in the basement wall of house number 13...

"For instance, you've been secretly infatuated with Edwina and have written her love letters you never dare send or deliver...

"And, for instance—"

"Please, stop! I believe you! I believe you!" Danitz interrupted, his trembling voice betraying his unease. His face had turned ashen as he looked at Ebner, like staring at a devil.

"Then, state your question," Ebner said, holding back his laughter.

At that moment, his amusement rivaled the delight he felt during Klein's antics at the Quelaag Club. Danitz's panicked demeanor combined with his inadvertent recollections of embarrassing moments was simply too entertaining!

"The Fool and his servants are truly… something else!"

"I want to know how to master the Pyromaniac potion," Danitz said after a pause, posing what he thought was a serious question.

"I do know how to solve that," Ebner replied, glancing at Danitz before shaking his head. "But you're not being sincere. This isn't the problem you most urgently wish to solve."

If it doesn't help my potion digestion, switch to another question.

Danitz froze. Truthfully, his current lack of focus on his own strength was obvious—a state that would last until Groselle's Travels, where his complacency was tested during their encounter with the Northern King.

This Doctor Strange guy is as uncanny as Roselle wrote about… Nothing seems hidden from him.

After some hesitation, Danitz blurted out a new question:

"Then tell me how to make Flowery Bow Tie Jodeson embarrass himself in front of the captain!"

At the mention of Jodeson, Danitz's teeth ground audibly. That dandy dared to declare he would "steal the captain's heart"—utterly infuriating!

This time, you're being sincere. Ebner nodded slightly and asked, "To what extent do you want him embarrassed?"

The question stumped Danitz. After pacing in circles, he finally bit his lip and stomped his foot. "Nothing that physically hurts him… and nothing too humiliating either…"

That's all? I wasn't planning anything excessive, but your standards are practically setting the bar underground…

Suppressing his thoughts, Ebner shared a plan he had just devised with Danitz.

Danitz listened attentively, nodding repeatedly before hesitating. "Are you sure Jodeson will fall for it? Should I nudge him in that direction?"

Do you think your clumsy intervention wouldn't be noticed by Vice Admiral Iceberg? Don't overcomplicate things! Ebner thought but replied aloud, "That would be entrapment. Do you think your captain wouldn't see through it?"

"True… According to your plan, Jodeson would make his own choices every step of the way. I get it now!" Danitz said, his mood visibly improving as excitement for his newfound scheme grew.

"Alright, your fifteen minutes are up. Time to wake up!" Ebner declared, clapping Danitz on the shoulder. The latter felt his surroundings spin as various scenes flashed by, leaving him dizzy until he lost consciousness.

---

When Danitz regained awareness, he found himself back in his cabin aboard the Golden Dream. Startled, he checked for the card the captain had given him earlier, only to discover it had vanished.

"It was real… But why does Doctor Strange insist on solving other people's problems?"

Unable to find an answer, Danitz decided not to dwell on it. He quickly tidied himself before heading to find First Mate Blazing Bruce Walls. After all, Ebner's "Jodeson embarrassment plan" couldn't succeed without the first mate's assistance.

Just as Danitz opened his cabin door, he froze mid-step. A horrifying realization struck him:

Doctor Strange is the captain's friend…

The captain likely visits that library-like place often to meet him…

Doctor Strange knows my secrets…

He wouldn't share them with the captain, right?!

In that moment, Danitz felt his own chances of embarrassment before the captain far outweighed Jodeson's.

---

Backlund, Lever Church

After launching his grand firework finale at the Balam Shipyard, Klein made his way casually to Lever Church, intending to lay low and avoid the ensuing investigations.

Many churches remained open late into the night, providing working-class believers a chance to pray or confess their sins.

At this hour, the church was neither empty nor crowded. Silence and sanctity pervaded the prayer hall.

Seated in the third row near the aisle, Klein leaned his black cane against the pew, removed his half-top hat, and clasped his hands, resting his chin on them. His calm face remained fixed on the triangular Sacred Emblem ahead.

Half an hour later, Klein left the church, hailed a carriage, and headed back to Minsk Street.

Reclining in the carriage, Klein revisited the final moments of the earlier battle. A weighty feeling lingered in his heart, as if the matter wasn't truly concluded.

That was because, in his last desperate act, Wraith Linstor had sneered darkly and "sacrificed" his soul to an unknown entity.

At the time, Klein and Sharon had braced themselves for the arrival of a terrifying existence. However, to their astonishment, Linstor simply dropped dead, with no further anomalies.

For a moment, Klein wondered if the wraith had botched the incantation.

"Whatever. Overthinking is pointless. Mysterious entities are often 'mad.' Taking payment without delivering results might just be their 'normal.'"

Murmuring to himself, Klein noticed the carriage had stopped in front of 15 Minsk Street.

After paying the fare and entering his home, Klein spotted a book titled The Book of Secrets and a neatly bound stack of Roselle's diary pages on the parlor table.

Skimming briefly through the items, Klein constructed a spiritual wall and used his All-Black Eye to ensure no hidden observers were present. Then, he performed a summoning ritual to bring the items above the gray fog.

Despite the solitude, Klein didn't want to expose his ability to decipher Roselle's diary. In a world rife with extraordinary means, discretion was crucial.

As for The Book of Secrets, its advanced arcane knowledge demanded utmost caution. Considering Tower's reverence for a mere hand-copied Book of Astrology, Klein dared not underestimate it.

However, the night's battle had drained his spiritual energy. Exhausted, Klein decided to delay his study until the next day.

He yawned as he entered a meditative state to alleviate his lingering tension. Within seconds, he succumbed to sleep.

---

Unaware of how much time had passed, Klein suddenly found himself lucid within a dream. However, the setting wasn't his living room.

Instead, he stood beneath the inverted pinnacle of a colossal spire. The base stretched endlessly into the clouds, its edges lost in the horizon.

Before Klein could comprehend the sight, a figure in a gothic black gown and petite black hat appeared beside him—Sharon.

After a quick glance around, Sharon turned to Klein and asked succinctly, "Quelaag Club. What favor did I do for you?"

"When we caught those adulterers, you suppressed the flash from my camera," Klein replied instinctively.

Sharon nodded slightly, her pale, delicate face impassive. She stared at Klein, her azure eyes urging him, Your turn to ask.

Klein paused but instead removed his spiritual pendulum to perform a divination: Is this truly Sharon?

After seven recitations, the pendulum's clockwise motion confirmed her authenticity.

Once Klein finished, Sharon stated flatly, "This is a dream."

"Yes, I fell asleep and ended up here. What about you?" Klein relaxed slightly, reassured not only by Sharon's reliability but also by the faint response he'd received when praying to The Fool.

That response meant he could escape this dream through the gray fog at any time.

"The same," Sharon replied succinctly.

"Wraiths can sleep?" Klein asked, puzzled.

Sharon was silent for a moment before answering evenly, "Your first night as my employer."

Clearly referring to the Sleeping Charm Klein had used, Sharon's tone implied, Why would you think wraiths can't sleep?

Klein chuckled awkwardly and quickly shifted the topic. "Is this the result of Linstor's final gambit?"

"Perhaps… but this doesn't seem to belong to him," Sharon replied.

At that moment, a voice resonated, identifying them as "temporary tower climbers" in the Dream Labyrinth Tower. To gain permanent access, they were required to clear the seventh floor and obtain basic permissions. Failure to do so would result in memory erasure and disqualification.

Additionally, they were granted only three attempts.

"A trial or treasure, perhaps," Sharon speculated. "Or a trap."

Klein didn't respond. His thoughts lingered on the eerie resemblance of this event to a certain individual's style:

"Could this be something left behind by Roselle?"

(End of Chapter)